


A bad day

by TheIceQueen



Series: Tired of fighting [16]
Category: The Walking Dead & Related Fandoms, The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Boys In Love, Boys Kissing, Comfort, Cuddling & Snuggling, Cute, Desperation, Desus - Freeform, Doubt, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Forehead Kisses, Hugs, Insecurity, Kissing, Light Angst, M/M, Memories, Nervousness, Nightmares, Past Abuse, Past Relationship(s), Pet Names, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Protectiveness, Romantic Fluff, Sleeping Together
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-29
Updated: 2018-06-29
Packaged: 2019-05-30 07:23:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,361
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15091913
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheIceQueen/pseuds/TheIceQueen
Summary: -- Timeline: About a year and two months into their relationship. --Paul is acting odd, and Daryl isn't sure whether to try and help him or if he's done something wrong.





	A bad day

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Picture set](https://archiveofourown.org/works/8907517) by [TBGkaru](https://archiveofourown.org/users/TBGkaru/pseuds/TBGkaru). 



> This is inspired from chapter 2 of "Picture set", by TBGkaru.

The last few days, maybe even over a week, when Daryl thought about it, Paul had been more quiet. He’d spent more time at work, so maybe it was just stress. Normally they would release the stress in the basement or the bedroom, but Paul hadn’t touched Daryl in six days now, which were way out of the ordinary, and when Daryl cuddled up to him at night it almost seemed like Paul only tolerated it and didn’t like it.

Daryl was getting worried. He spent his days thinking over what he could have done wrong and the evenings studying Paul’s every move to see if there was a clue to what was going on. On a day where Paul had left for work without giving Daryl, even the routinely, peck on the mouth or cheek, the most terrifying thought came to him. What if Paul simply didn’t love him anymore? What if he wanted to move on?

Daryl sank into the couch with a bump and stared blindly at the room in front of him. He was shocked and couldn’t even conjure up tears to support the horrible possibility that he might lose Paul.

“You’re not going hunting today either?” Marcy’s cheerful voice cut through the room and shook Daryl from his comatosed state, just enough for him to shake his head.

“Are you okay?” The little blonde came around the couch to be face to face with the large man. “You haven’t been on a hunt for four days now, what’s going on?”

“Nothing.”

Daryl stood up and made a line for the door, but Marcy cut him off. “Maybe, you should just try talking to him.”

Daryl looked at the small lady in front of him. Had she noticed something too?

“What?”

“Hey, I see things. Jesus hasn’t been himself lately and it’s clearly freaking you out for some reason. Have you talked to him about it?”

“No, I…”

“Well maybe you should.”

Daryl shook his head. Talking to Paul meant getting confirmation to what was going on, and that wasn’t a truth he was sure he could handle.

Marcy placed her palm on Daryl’s chest and looked up into his eyes. “Daryl. You’re not thinking straight. I’ve never seen two people more in love than you two. He loves you. Don’t doubt that.”

Daryl looked into the dark green eyes smiling back at him. He tried to smile back but didn’t quite manage and moved around the girl to leave the room.

“Hey, Daryl! If you don’t talk to him today, I’m locking you both in the elevator till you figure this shit out.”

Under any other circumstances, Daryl would have laughed at the outspoken girl, he was sure she would find a way to get them stuck in the small box too, that’s if they could get Paul in there when Daryl was.

* * *

That night was spent in silence. Paul seemed to be in his own uncomfortable world, and Daryl spent the time analyzing his every move, while answering Marcy’s looks with his own firm eyes.

When Paul walked up the stairs, Marcy pulled Daryl aside. “He wont ever leave you, but you need to help him now. He’s clearly in a bad place and if you don’t do something I’ll do my best to kick your ass.”

Daryl withdrew his arm from her grip and bit his lip. Marcy didn’t look like she was making a joke.

“I…”

“Daryl. Trust me. He loves you! Now get up there.” She pushed Daryl towards the stairs. She’d always been outspoken and normally Daryl saw it as endearing, but this time he felt her words like punches to his midsection.

Paul was already in bed, rolled over on one side with his back against the door. Daryl dressed down to his boxers and sat in the bed behind the quiet man.

“Rovia?”

Paul hummed shortly in response.

“Rovia, look at me. Please.”

There was no reaction.

“Dammit, Paul. I’m freaking out here. What did I do?”

Paul shifted a bit and it seemed at he moved a little further from Daryl.

“Nothing… you haven’t done anything.”

Daryl hated this. He was getting nowhere, and Paul’s voice was only getting smaller for each word.

“Then tell me what I should have done. Something is definitely wrong. What didn’t I do?”

“It’s not on you.” Paul pulled the cover closer to his chin and Daryl saw him try to get even smaller than he already was, all rolled up on the far side of the bed.

Daryl had to do something. If he hadn’t done anything wrong and hadn’t neglected to do something either, it had to be something else bothering his boyfriend. Paul had had bad days in the past, days where he’d shot down, but he’d always ended up cuddling in Daryl’s strong arms at night and then everything was back to normal in the morning. Daryl never questioned it, because Paul seemed to handle it, and to be honest Daryl had no idea how to talk about it if it was Paul’s past relationship that shined trough once in a while.

This was different though. It was too long, and Paul had only just accepted physical contact. Daryl took a deep breath, made the decision that this had to be it, and walked around the bed to kneel down in front of Paul’s face. Paul began to turn away, but Daryl placed a heavy hand on his shoulder.

“No, Paul. It’s time you tell me what’s going on.”

Paul looked sad and extremely tired when they locked eyes with each other. The smaller man swallowed and looked down. “Not now, Dee. Please, can we do this in the morning?”

Daryl wanted to yell and scream and shake the man by his shoulders till he spilled something, anything, but he knew that wasn’t an option. He wouldn’t get anywhere like that. So he rubbed Paul’s shoulder and moved his other hand gently trough his soft brown hair.

“Okay, but we need to talk about this. No rushing off to work like a tornado like usual.”

Paul nodded and accepted Daryl’s kiss on his forehead. As he walked to his side of the bed, Daryl couldn’t shake the sound of Paul’s voice, when he said _please_ from his head.

He laid down and careful not to startle the other man, he placed, what he hoped would be, a supportive hand on Paul’s back. Paul drew in a big breath and rolled over. Without looking a Daryl, he moved close to his chest and let the bigger man hold him in a tight embrace as he fell asleep.

* * *

Daryl didn’t sleep right away. He was overjoyed that Paul had given just a little sign that he wanted to be with him, and that he was going to change from what the last week had been, but he was still terrified what this all meant. What if he couldn’t help Paul this time? What if this was something else completely? Something that Daryl couldn’t do anything to get Paul through?

After two and a half hours of thinking Daryl had almost given in to the exhaustion and his eyes were closing. That’s when he felt Paul’s head moving. Nothing new about it, everyone move when they sleep, and Paul had already adjusted his possession more than once, but this time his head was moving from side to side and his arms were twitching between their chests.

With the first hum of discomfort from Paul, Daryl unwrapped his arms and placed his dreaming boyfriend on his back. It took a second for Daryl to realize that Paul was having a nightmare. His face were distorted in fear and disgust and his arms were sluggishly trying to push or bat something away.

“Rovia?” Daryl shook him lightly by the shoulder, but Paul just kept humming and grunting from fear, even a small whimper made it though sometimes.

“Paul?! Wake up, you’re dreaming!”

Daryl was shaking him violent by both upper arms, and still nothing. If it had been anyone else he would have slapped them over the face by now, but that could very well make everything worse for Paul. Daryl sat against the headboard and pulled Paul up to lean against his chest and placed his shaking legs over his own. Barely reaching the cover he got it and covered them both. Paul was whining, and Daryl hoped that this would stop before it developed into a full cry. He cradled the shaking man’s head and felt his own heart skip a beat when Paul grabbed on to his shoulder and tried to pull himself closer.

“Shh. Poppet. You’re safe. I’m right here with you.”

Daryl looked to the ceiling, he wasn’t a religious man, but it must have been imbedded in humans to look up, when needing a break or not knowing what to do.

He hugged Paul tighter and kept talking. “It’s Dee. Nothing is going to hurt you. You’re safe… Calm down now, Poppet.”

Just when Daryl thought he would lose the fight with his tears building, Paul relaxed.

“Rovia?”

Daryl pushed Paul up a bit to see his face, but the man was sleeping. He was relaxed and if it wasn’t for the sweat on his forehead it looked like the nightmare hadn’t even happened.

Daryl sat with his sleeping boyfriend in his arms for half an hour, before getting them both lying down. Paul only hummed in response to being moved and quickly snuggled up against Daryl in his sleep.

* * *

At four in the morning Daryl’s body finally took over and he fell asleep. He woke up around nine, with no one else in the room. Paul had left for work without even waking him. He took a cold shower to calm down from the shaking and tensing that came with the frustration.

He didn’t want to go downstairs, but he was extremely hungry, he hadn’t really eaten yesterday.

“Mornin’” Marcy placed the coffee and toast on the kitchen bar. “Paul looked better this morning, he kind of made a smile.”

She looked at Daryl, who was holding on to the coffee cup, but not drinking. “You look worse. What happened?”

Daryl stood up in silence and took his coffee and with him to the bedroom. He spent most of his day in bed, just sitting and wondering. Marcy had sent breakfast and lunch through the dumbwaiter, but it was standing untouched on the dresser. He wondered if he should demand an explanation when Paul got home. He went over the conversation or confrontation a hundred times in his mind, before it dawned on him that Paul might not come home.

What if this was it? No. It couldn’t be… Paul loved him, he was sure of that. He loved him almost as much as Daryl loved Paul. Daryl took another, even colder shower to try and calm down. Paul would come home, and he would do anything Paul needed to help him, he only had to ask what that was.

* * *

Around five in the evening a text popped up on Daryl’s phone. Paul’s jeep had broken down. No further explanation, he just asked to be picked up at an access road not far down the highway.

Daryl rushed to his truck and took off. After twenty minutes of driving he turned off the highway and made his way round to the road leading back on in the opposite direction. He noticed the jeep first and then the small figure sitting next to it, hugging his knees. Daryl pulled up and jumped out and quickly he squatted down in front of Paul.

“Rovia. C’mon. Let’s go home.”

Paul looked up slowly, his eyes glistened in the light from Daryl’s truck and the tears building up was clear to see.

Daryl’s stomach sank. He took Paul’s hand and pulled him up. “Poppet. What is it?”

Paul leaned himself against the chest of the bigger man, and Daryl wrapped his jacket around him.

“Paul. Is it because of _him_?”

Paul froze, then he nodded carefully. “Sometimes everything just sucks.”

“I know. Trust me, I know.” Daryl kissed the top of Paul’s head. “The nightmare from last night? Do you remember that?”

Paul hugged Daryl’s waist. “Most of it, I think.”

Daryl kissed Paul’s head again. “Paul. You need to talk to me…” He just realized what he’d said, and so did Paul, because he pushed himself back to look up at Daryl. “I know, it’s a lot coming from me, and I’m working on it, okay?”

Paul nodded and leaned his head against Daryl’s chest again. Daryl moved a hand up through his hair and leaned his temple on the top of Paul’s head.

“How many nightmares have you had lately?”

Paul shook his head under Daryl’s. “Only the one. I guess it was because I almost told you last night.”

This time it was Daryl who pushed them apart and looked in Paul’s eyes. “Have you thought about that you might not have had one, if you just told me, that you felt crappy?”

Paul nodded. “Yeah, just before I texted you.”

Daryl leaned in and kissed Paul on the lips and for the first time in over a week Paul retaliated and kissed back deeply and passionately.

“Let’s go home. It’s freezing out here.”

Paul nodded and let Daryl walk him by the hand to the truck. Daryl grinned as he got in to the driver’s seat and Paul looked confused at him. “What?”

“I think Marcy is kinda freaking out too. She’s hidden it well, but when she tells me that she’ll kick my ass, if I don’t talk to you, she has to be desperate.”

Paul leaned back in the seat and smiled. They drove home in silence with Daryl’s right hand in Paul’s left. As they walked trough the door and up the stairs, both of them smiled at Marcy, spying at them through the door to the main room.

Again, Daryl was the last one to fall asleep, but only minutes after Paul. They slept through the night wrapped in each other’s arms.


End file.
